MBaneACP

Sorry to be coming back to an old thread, but I have a 9mm SGP (Serial Number 00001, as it happens) and it has been problem child. In fact, I'll have a little spare time this week and I'll go through it again. Occasionally, the cylinder/trigger/everything freezes up. ICORE at Cameo was a huge comedy of errors (on my part). The SGP's quirks didn't help any.

I kinda forgot about this thread...sorry. 2019 Rimfire Worlds at the Old Fort Gun Club in Ft. Smith AR was a huge success...the largest ever, the biggest prize table, the fastest speeds, the fewest complaints, hell, even the best food! I shot with Kolby Pavlock, K.C. Eusebio, ".22 Plinkster," and fellow BoD member Heather Martin; all BoD members made it a point to not just be visible, but to reach out to people at the match who had contacted us previously about issues or with complaints and make sure that we had addressed (or were addressing) those issues. It takes time, but problems do get solved. the next thing on my list is to try and figure out a consistent, interesting way to coordinate coverage of not just Rimfire, but all the shooting sports. Thanks, Michael B

A probably dumb question...in reading that slide lightening cuts are now acceptable in CO, is it safe to assume that cutting a 45 degree angle on the front of the slide, the so-called "bullnose" cuts or radiuses muzzle (per Billy Wilson), are legal as well, since they do remove a (tiny bit) of weight? I ask because my EDC has such a cut, and I'd like to shoot it in a match every so often... Michael B

Hi all...just a note to say that effective 1 January 2018, Ken Jorgensen, formerly of Ruger, and I will be launching the Rimfire Challenge Shooting Association and taking over administration of the RIMFIRE CHALLENGE from NSSF. NSSF has done a great job of "incubating" the sport for the last few years. Ken and I are looking forward to taking the sport to the next level. As some of you remember, Ken and I, along with the late Nelson Dymond, created the RIMFIRE CHALLENGE sitting around a hotel room after the Steel Challenge almost a decade ago. The sport has quite literally exceeded our best-case expectations. Ken, Nelson and I wanted to create a sport that was both open and appealing to new shooters,, to young shooters and to families, but still be challenging to even the top tier of competitors...I think we succeeded! i realize there is a lot to do...the new Rimfire Challenge Shooting Association website will be up and running by 1January, and we will announce the location of the 2018 World Champioships at SHOT. We will be compiling a list of clubs shooting RC through the website, so we can get a regular newsletter out to everyone. Our goal for the first year is stability, in rules and in competitions. One of our early projects will be to compile a club handbook for running RIMFIRE CHALLENGE matches. Since I come out of USPSA/NROI, consistency of rules -- especially safety rules -- range commands, scoring, etc. is critical. Last year, working with Mark Passamaneck, I headed up the AMERICAN MARKSMAN project for OUTDOOR CHANNEL (and yes, Mark did all the heavy lifting!). We learned a lot and managed to bring in between 4,000 and 5,000 NEW COMPETITORS! Think about that...5,000 new competitors. At the 2017 NSSF RIMFIRE CHALLENGE WORLDS last week I met many competitors who fired their first competitive shots ever in the AMERICAN MARKSMAN project. All of us working on the RIMFIRE CHALLENGE, including our top Match Directors and industry execs, are committed to continuing that growth path. We don't have all the answers..but we do have the support of the people who do have those answers. And I invite all you guys out to a RIMFIRE CHALLENGE match...I promise, you'll have a great time! Thanks... Michael Bane OUTDOOR CHANNEL

TV Network, money, recognizable television personalities...we have those things. Which is why I'm working with Mike Foley on raising the profile of USPSA. Under the "old" administration, USPSA had the opportunity to partner with us on AMERICAN MARKSMAN, but it somehow fell through the cracks (as much our problem as anything...teevee decisions get made real quick, and we move on...deadlines are everything). Mike reached out to me, and if you saw this week's SHOOTING GALLERY, we filmed the Carry Open Nationals. I'm meeting with Mike at SHOT to plot out what we're going to do next. michael b

Interesting side note...at OUTDOOR CHANNEL we created a project called AMERICAN MARKSMAN, specifically as an amateur shooter competition. We gave away $50k to the winner last weekend in our Finals (a brilliant competition designed and run by Mark Passamaneck)...you'll see the whole thing on OC later this year. You'll also see what a properly filmed shooting competition looks like -- we ran 4 primary cameras, DSLRs for specialty videography and GoPros down range. Our "net net" was that we brought in almost 5,000 new competitors nationally, probably 80+ % of which had NEVER shot any competition whatsoever! I'm pretty sure nobody has ever done anything close to that number. Our hope is that after the taste of competition, our thousands of newbies will go on to USPSA, IDPA, 3- Gun, etc. So it can be done, but it takes thinking outside the box... michael b

Michael Bane here...been a long time since I posted. My crew and I filmed the CO Nationals for SHOOTING GALLERY 2017, the first USPSA match we've filmed in a coon's age. As I have no idea how old a raccoon can get, suffice to say it has been a while. We had a wonderful time, and it is going to be an excellent episode. We came to film at the invitation of President Mike Foley, a gracious and thoughtful man. When I came onto the range, he shook my hand and said, "Welcome home." It was for me in many ways a bittersweet homecoming...God knows how many times I've been at PASA Park over the decades. As I walked the ranges I was certain that I saw people who were not there, who have indeed left the range. I remembered conversations and joking around and good stages and stupid DQs. And I met old friends I'd long since lost touch with. I chased Bob Emerson's scores for years in the early days in Florida and I never could catch him...I still can't...but he's 80 years old and still pulling the trigger. Sometimes I'm not quite sure how I managed to spend most of my adult life pasting targets and setting steel. But on the ranges at PASA Park the reasons became clear again. It was always you guys, the best people I've ever known. I just wanted to say, "Thank you...thank you so very much." I was not shooting this year because it's a rehab year, reassembling the wreckage of my right leg (note to younger people...strive to keep your quadriceps attached to bone and your kneecap in one piece), getting new knees in both legs, having the oil changed, etc. I'm 11 months into the rehab, and we started lateral movement last week. There should be a word combining "boring" and "really painful." Anyway, again, thank you Mike Foley, my old friend Troy McManus and so many of you. I look forward to being back, and I hope you enjoy the shows! Michael Bane OUTDOOR CHANNEL

Been a while since I posted, but today was a good day. My physical therapist said I do not have to wear the massive right knee/leg brace while I'm walking in the house! That's after only 9 weeks rehab from quite literally destroying my right knee--while in the queue for knee replacement surgery, I took a hard fall on a steep hiking trail. Because I am an idiot, I forced myself to get up, them fell again, harder. The tendons holding my quad to mt right kneecap ripped apart with such force that chunks of the kneecap itself were torn out. Emergency surgery...the whole enchilada. It has been painful (LOL! Understatement alert!), but I have followed the advice of my dear friend Mike Seeklander--"Push. Then push harder!" My plan is to be at SHOT, then have the knee replacement surgery the Monday after. Then back to rehab. I am reminded that those lessons I've learned shooting translate into real life. Focus. Intensity. The willingness to keep pushing when that little voice in your head says, "Why the hell are you doing this?" So the short story is I like having friends like Seeklander, and Mike Janich, and Tom Yost, and Joyce Wilson, and Mark Passamaneck, who won't let me get away with slacking off. Thank you, and see you on the range. Michael B

He made the decision to continue on with our show, SHOOTOUT LANE, because he is Jimmy Clark and truly a man among men. Michael B

At last year's SHOT, me and Frank and my Sweetie shared a late late night dinner. We laughed and BS'ed and talked about friends old and new. It was a wonderful time. At the end of dinner, Frank leaned across the table and said, "You know, the lives we've led, we've been blessed." As usual, he was right. Damn, I miss him. Michael B

She's an excellent cowboy shooter shifting to 3-Gun. She wanted an STI 9mm more than anything, and today I ordered an Edge from Dave Dawson. I am so profoundly glad I can make her Christmas a happy one. I never seem to have the time to post on BE anymore, but my thoughts are here a lot. Merry Christmas, guys. Michael Bane

BTW,, I wish I had the dovetailed rear sight! Michael B

Interestingly enough, my good friend John Snow from OUTDOOR LIFE shot one of the the out-of-the-box VersaMaxes at CRIMSON TRACE...we shot on the same squad (with Match Director Chuck Anderson). John was very happy with it, but I liked my Carbon Arms VM a bit better. Easier to load with the opened up port. Michael B

Hey Denise, now that you've shamed me into entering, I think we're going to be filming for SHOOTING GALLERY (we're trying to get some date conflicts resolved, but it looks good to go so far). Still juggling optics on the .308, thus assuring that I will not be able to hit anything at all. See you soon! Michael B

Why would it be more likely that I might claim to be President of USPSA? Just asking... Michael B